


Healing Through Memories

by angelus2hot



Category: Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Genre: Angst, Community: smallfandomfest, F/M, Het, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-29
Updated: 2013-01-29
Packaged: 2017-11-27 09:30:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/660388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelus2hot/pseuds/angelus2hot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zeus helps Hercules remember the good times with his family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Healing Through Memories

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** Healing Through Memories  
>  **Fandom:** Hercules the Legendary Journeys  
>  **Characters/Pairing:** Hercules/Deianeira  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 1,093  
>  **Summary:** Zeus helps Hercules remember the good times with his family  
>  **A/N:** written for [Smallfandomfest's](http://smallfandomfest.livejournal.com) fest 12

The months had passed by swiftly in one aspect and more slowly in others since his wife and children were taken from him. But one thing remained the same. The pain he had felt when they were taken still ate at him. It was a raw wound, one that he carried with him wherever he went. His grief knew no bounds, there was no consolation to offer him that would assuage his pain.

Hercules knelt at the graveside of his wife and children and he slowly bowed his head and let the tears fall silently down his cheeks. He watched as they fell on his wife’s grave. “I wish I could just forget.”

“Why would you want to forget her? Are you trying to tell me, that you don’t have happy memories with Deianeira?”

It didn’t phase him a bit to have his father appear out of nowhere. No, that didn’t bother him at all but what he had said was another matter entirely. Hercules stared at his father, Zeus, with his mouth opened. It took him a few moments before he was able to overcome the shock of that question. “No. Of course not. I have memories of her and the children. Happy memories. Ones that I carry with me everyday. But I don’t have anywhere near the amount of memories of them that I should have. I should have memories of my children growing up and becoming adults.” His voice caught in his throat. “But I don’t have that. Instead all I have is this constant pain inside of me that just won’t stop. And I should have had the chance to grow old with Deianeira.”

Zeus quickly interrupted. “So, because you can’t handle the pain you want to forget her?”

Hercules sat back on his haunches and stared at his father. “No.” The tears coursed faster down his cheeks. “I would never want that. I just need for the pain to stop. If only for a minute. I miss her so much. We should have died in each other’s arms when the time for us to go came. But.... Sometimes the grief is so terrible that it feels like I can’t breathe, Zeus.”

Almost before he finished speaking, Zeus shook his head sadly. “But that was never going to happen, son.”

“What? What do you mean?”

 _Oh, this was going to be a tough one._ He knew he should have been straight with Hercules a long time ago but... _What was the mortal saying? Ah yes._ There’s no time like the present. “You can’t die. Not then, not now and not ever.”

“What? Don’t you think this was something you should have told me a long time ago?” Zeus opened his mouth to speak, but Hercules ignored him and continued, “How many times have I asked you over the years if I was immortal? And how many times did you choose not to answer me?”

His father held up his hands and shrugged. “What difference does it make now? Would it have made any difference to you then? If you had known you were immortal would it have made your choose differently or would you still have chosen Deianeira?”

For a brief moment time stood still as Hercules thought through what Zeus had told him. And he wondered if knowing then what he knew now would have made a difference in whether or not he would have loved Deianeira. It didn’t take long before Hercules shook his head. “Of course it wouldn’t have. I would have loved her anyway.”

“There you have your answer.” He patted his son’s shoulder. “So tell me a happy memory of Deianeira. One that makes you smile.”

“I don’t think now’s the time for.....”

But Zeus wasn’t taking no for an answer. His son needed to talk about his wife and his family. Only through his memories was Hercules going to be able to heal and he was going to make sure his son did just that. “Humor an old man.”

 _Old man his..._ But nevertheless Hercules began to tell his father about his life with Deianeira. He told him everything even about the night of his daughter’s birth. He had been away helping one of the villagers. He was so late getting back that he had almost missed the birth of his only daughter. Deianeira was in so much pain she had actually threatened to smack him one. Although afterwards she said that she couldn’t remember saying any such thing.

Hercules closed his eyes and breathed deep as even more memories of Deianeira danced across his mind. From the moment they had met he had known there was something special about her. Something that called to him and no matter how much he knew he should, he still couldn’t ignore his feelings for her. Although she really hadn’t been all that impressed with him to begin with. But later, much later they had eventually fallen in love.

He smiled as another memory came to him, one that he had never shared with anyone else.

 

Hercules eased up behind his wife, grabbed her up into his arms and spun her around. Her squeal of delight echoed through their home. 

“What are you doing, Hercules?” She swatted him on the arm. “Put me down!” As soon as her feet touched the floor again, she smoothed her hands down her dress. “What would the children think?”

“They would think that Daddy wants Mommy’s attention?” He offered helpfully.

Deianeira’s face turned various shades of red at the implied suggestion in his remark. For just a moment she stared at him open-mouthed before she had turned away and quickly busied herself with preparing their evening meal.

He couldn’t help but smile at the picture she had made; standing in the kitchen, her face bright red but with a secretive smile that belied her embarrassment.

 _She had been so beautiful!_

 

One after the other the memories of his life with his family swept through his mind and he allowed himself to sink deeper inside of them. With each one there was laughter and tears but most of all there was healing. Hercules learned that even though the memories of his loved ones caused him pain and sadness they also gave him great joy.

As soon as the smiles had begun to outnumber the times of tears to cross Hercules’ face, Zeus knew his son would be okay. Without a word, Zeus quietly left his son alone with his memories. After all, there were some things a father just shouldn’t hear.


End file.
